look news india
New Delhi/Lucknow: Indian Railways is called the lifeline of the country, where crores of people travel every day to reach their destination. To make the journey of passengers not only comfortable but also financially safe, a very economical and public-friendly scheme is being run by Indian Railways and IRCTC. Under this scheme, any railway passenger can get travel insurance up to Rs 10 lakh by paying an additional fee of just 45 paise (Rs 0.45) at the time of booking his ticket. The biggest relief is that the scope of this facility is no longer limited only to those who book tickets online, but the way has been cleared for the passengers taking tickets from the reservation counter (PRS Counter) of the railway station to get its direct benefits. Getting such a huge security guarantee without any burden on the common man’s pocket is being considered a revolutionary step in the history of Railways.
It was often seen that only passengers who booked tickets through digital platform i.e. IRCTC website or mobile app were able to easily avail the benefit of this 45 paise insurance by choosing the ‘opt-in’ option. A large population of the country, especially people from rural areas and small towns, still go to the ticket counter of the railway station and make reservations by filling the form. Taking this matter seriously, the Railway Administration has made this process very simple for counter ticket holders also. When you fill the reservation form to book a ticket at the PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counter of the railway station, an option to take travel insurance is given in it. The passenger simply has to tick ‘Yes’ on that option or verbally ask the booking clerk at the counter to add the insurance. After this, only 45 paise per passenger is added to the total ticket fare and the passenger’s insurance becomes active as soon as the ticket is issued.
This special travel insurance scheme of Railways has been designed in such a way that in case of any untoward incident, the victim’s family can get immediate and adequate financial support. If unfortunately there is a train accident or any untoward incident occurs during the journey, the amount of compensation has been decided by the insurance company under various categories. According to the rules of this policy, if a passenger dies in a railway accident or becomes permanently totally disabled, then the entire insurance amount of Rs 10 lakh is provided to his family or nominee. Additionally, if the passenger becomes permanently disabled due to the accident, he gets a claim of up to Rs 7.5 lakh. In case of serious injuries, medical assistance up to Rs 2 lakh is given towards hospitalization expenses, while in case of death of a passenger, Rs 10,000 is given separately as transportation expenses to take the mortal remains home.
Many passengers take insurance by paying 45 paise, but due to a small negligence, their family members later have to face technical difficulties in taking the claim. According to experts and railway officials, a link and policy number is sent by the insurance company to the passenger’s registered mobile number and email ID immediately after the ticket is booked. By clicking on that link, the passenger must mandatorily fill the name, age and relationship of the nominee (heir) in his policy. If the passenger does not update the nominee details, in case of any untoward incident, the process of handing over the compensation amount to the legal heirs becomes lengthy, which may require documents like Succession Certificate. So, as soon as you receive the SMS or email, take just two minutes to enter the nominee details.
To avail the benefit of this 45 paise travel insurance scheme of Indian Railways, some basic eligibility conditions have been set which every passenger should know. Firstly, this insurance is valid only for passengers traveling on confirmed or RAC tickets; If waitlisted tickets are not confirmed and canceled even after charting, this insurance is not applicable. The second important thing is that this facility is available only for Indian citizens, foreign citizens do not come under the scope of this scheme. Additionally, this insurance is not applicable for children below 5 years of age who have not reserved a separate berth or seat, but the child will also be covered if a full ticket has been taken. This insurance cover is effective starting from the scheduled departure time of the train till the train reaches the destination station.
In states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, railways is considered the most important mode of travel. Every day lakhs of passengers travel to every corner of the country from big railway junctions like Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur of Uttar Pradesh alone. There is a large section of these who even today do not use smartphones or internet banking and buy tickets directly from the station counter. With this decision of the Railways, now all these common passengers will get the same security cover without any discrimination, which is available to the passengers who book tickets online. This security insurance of Rs 10 lakh, which is just 45 paise, many times less than the price of a cup of tea, is proving to be an essential and wise step for every railway passenger. Next time you book your train ticket online or over the counter, don’t forget to choose this 45 paise option.